Chapter 245: Heaven's Will Is Hard to Defy

The Four Seas Sect, the Dragon Palace on East Island.

Misty clouds flowed over the steps before the hall, while breathing that rumbled like rolling thunder echoed within, as if a colossal creature were resting inside.

Only upon entering the hall did one discover it was no giant beast.

Instead, a handsome young man dressed in white robes, with a refined and scholarly appearance, leaned against the window, holding a red-bound book and reading it with great interest.

Just then, a woman walked into the great hall.

The woman possessed a voluptuous figure, with a cinnabar mark between her eyebrows; her features were clear and elegant, and her every gesture exuded both noble grace and a touch of willful wildness.

Upon entering the hall and spotting the young man by the window, she immediately raised her voice:

"Big Brother! Look at the time, and you are still here reading books? If this continues, I fear the face of our Four Seas Sect and the Dragon Clan will be utterly lost!"

Hearing this, the young man raised his head helplessly and glanced at the woman: "Little Sister, have you forgotten Father King's oral decree? He ordered us to close ourselves off for seclusion and quietly recite the Daoist scriptures. This calamity is approaching; if we do not go out, Father King can still protect us, but once we step out, nothing is certain."

"But Sui Ying is dead!"

The woman shook her head, baring a mouthful of sharp teeth as she spoke with hatred: "Sui Ying was a Dragon King, yet he was killed by humans; how can we simply ignore this?"

Before his death, Sui Ying had been a notable figure within the Dragon Palace.

He was especially close to the woman, for they were born of the same mother; the woman's name was Sui Ling, making her, strictly speaking, Sui Ying's biological younger sister.

Now that her brother was dead, how could she not harbor hatred?

Yet in comparison, the young man remained indifferent: "So what? Sui Ying died in the inland regions; do you intend to pursue and kill them there?"

"Give up, Little Sister."

The young man's name was Tian Qiu, the second son of the Dragon Lord; years ago, he had already reached the cultivation of a Great True Person at the peak of Foundation Establishment, serving as the Dragon Lord's capable aide.

Therefore, compared to the young and impulsive Sui Ling, he was far more calm, shaking his head immediately: "Regarding this calamity, I fear the inland regions are about to cleanse the overseas territories again; we likely cannot resist and can only hide. As long as we stay hidden within the Dragon Palace, we will be safe, but stepping out means a ninety-nine percent chance of dying and having our Dao extinguished."

"How can it be so..."

Hearing this, Sui Ling immediately gritted her teeth, but soon seemed to think of something and exclaimed loudly: "Then what if I lure that person into the Dragon Palace?"

At these words, Tian Qiu raised an eyebrow: "Lure them into the Dragon Palace... If you can truly achieve that, then naturally there is no issue; even the great figures in the heavens would have no grounds to object."

True Persons set the layout, while True People act as the pieces.

The former only focus on the grand trend, while the latter control the details; victory or defeat depends on individual ability, which is the unspoken understanding between True Persons.

"Excellent!"

Seeing this, Sui Ling immediately rubbed her hands together in anticipation: "I previously asked a friend from the Black Turtle clan to calculate for me; that person is destined to come to the overseas regions on this journey!"

"Karma indicates that his target is the Yuan Ci Divine Mountain that Big Brother previously valued; I ask Big Brother to move that Divine Mountain into our Dragon Palace's territory. In that case, he must either forcibly break into our Dragon Palace or give up improving his cultivation base; either outcome will vent this evil air from my heart!"

"The Yuan Ci Divine Mountain..."

Upon hearing Sui Ling's words, Tian Qiu frowned, bitter laughter rising in his heart: 'As expected of a True Person; they strike the snake at its seventh inch, giving me no chance to evade!'

Why did he value the Yuan Ci Divine Mountain?

Naturally, just like Suo Huan, he had seen that this Divine Mountain was formed from the fragments of a grotto-heaven left behind after a True Person's fall, holding immense benefit for his ascent to seek the Golden Core!

If it were some ordinary item, yielding it would be fine.

But this Divine Mountain simply could not be yielded!

Yet if you do not yield, you must form karmic ties with the other party; with this back and forth, the calamity arrives immediately, and a life-and-death crisis looms right before your eyes!

"Father King..."

Tian Qiu raised his head to gaze into the deepest part of the Dragon Palace, as if he could feel a pair of golden eyes, vast as mountains, watching him, while a wave of pressure crashed toward him.

'... ndeed, Father King calculated the karma; how could he not know the full story? Knowing the situation yet still ordering me to seclude and recite scriptures means he wants me to give up, but the Yuan Ci Divine Mountain is a fragment of a grotto-heaven; if I obtain it, my hope of seeking the Golden Core increases greatly; how can I simply give it up?'

For a moment, Tian Qiu's expression was filled with struggle.

After a long while, he finally calmed his emotions and turned to look at Sui Ling: "The Divine Mountain has not yet fully matured; moving it into the Dragon Palace now would only waste it in vain."

"Little Sister, you go first."

"Gather more manpower to guard the Divine Mountain for me; if that inland cultivator who killed Sui Ying truly intends to scheme for the Divine Mountain... only then will I make my move."

"Little Sister accepts the order!"

Hearing this, Sui Ling was immediately overjoyed; she departed with light steps, leaving only Tian Qiu sitting in the hall with an uncertain expression, the Daoist scripture in his hand now closed.

"Heaven's will is hard to defy... Heaven's will is hard to defy!"

"Boom!"

Thunder accompanied by brilliant white flashes streaked across the sky, manifesting the wrath of the person behind the scenes, yet it was forcibly obscured by layers of dark clouds.

"You lot... bully me too severely!"

The suppressed voice stirred the heavens and earth to howl; instantly, it caused the overseas waves to surge, spontaneously generating countless natural disasters that seemed ready to transform into towering giant waves.

However, the very next second, three mighty forces similarly arose, steadily pressing down like an invisible giant hand that forced the myriad waves flat; all the natural disasters vanished without a trace before they could truly take shape, causing the voice that had been howling through heaven and earth to suddenly drop in volume.

"Amitabha, why must the Dragon Lord be so anxious?"

"Those below are ultimately just those below; when playing chess, there are naturally wins and losses; accepting the bet with grace is the only way to maintain dignity; getting angry just shows your perspective is too small!"

"I..."

The Dragon Lord gritted his teeth; while chess indeed has wins and losses, damn it, you have no sportsmanship; three of you play against me, and for every one move I make, you make three!

This was not the first time such a thing had happened; think of his True Dragon clan, once nobility of heaven and earth, needing no cultivation, reaching Foundation Establishment upon adulthood, with four Dragon Lords dividing the rivers, lakes, and seas—what magnificent power was that? But since fleeing far to the overseas regions, the nobility of heaven and earth became mere human subjects, and everything changed.

Back when they fled far to the overseas regions, the Dragon Clan was left with only him as the sole Dragon Lord.

As a result, after countless years had passed, the Dragon Clan still had only him as the single Dragon Lord!

'Every so often, a cleansing and harvesting is conducted upon the overseas regions; they are raising the demon beasts like livestock! I am merely the appointed shepherd dog!'

Whenever a demon creature cultivated to the peak of Foundation Establishment, nearing the quest for the Golden Core, a "cleansing" would be triggered.

Even the methods never changed; they simply tossed out a 'Golden Core opportunity,' then lured the target out, claiming whether one could succeed depended entirely on each faction's ability.

—Spoken nicely enough.

In reality, over so many years, the demon beasts had never won a single time; with the four major powers joining hands to erase all variables, how could one lightly speak of resisting them?

Unless...

The next second, the Dragon Lord simply retracted his spiritual sense, ceasing his standoff with the three mysterious mighty forces in the void, and returned to his Dragon Palace true form, opening a pair of golden eyes.

Under the illumination of his gaze, invisible barriers were unveiled.

In an instant, a tall figure with a relaxed demeanor appeared before the Dragon Lord's eyes, wearing a smile: "It seems the Dragon Lord has made up his mind?"

"... t is a promise."

The Dragon Lord spoke in a deep voice: "As long as you, Ang Xiao, can help my Dragon Clan produce another Dragon Lord and certify the天河 Water, I will let him go to your Nether Prefecture!"

(End of Chapter)